Link previews: how your website looks when shared on WhatsApp and social media

You send your website link to a customer on WhatsApp and, instead of a nice card with your logo and a sentence, you get a bare link. Or worse: a box saying "Home" with a photo cut in half. It seems minor, but that link preview is the first thing someone sees of your website before opening it.

Where the link preview comes from

WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Telegram and Slack read hidden tags in each page's code, made just for sharing. The most important:

• Title: the bold line.
• Description: a short sentence underneath.
• Image: the large picture on the card.

If the page does not have them, each app improvises: it takes the tab title, the first text it finds or any image, or shows nothing at all.

What a good link preview looks like

• A short, clear title. It can differ from the Google one: more direct, written for someone who knows you or asked about you. "Nueva Página - Website design from €349" is this website's, for example.
• A one-sentence description that invites people to open it.
• An image made for it: landscape (1200 × 630 pixels is the usual size), with your logo or a photo that reads well small and no tiny text.
• One per important page if needed: your booking page can have its own card.

Why a link preview sometimes does not update

Apps cache previews for a while. If you change the image or title, WhatsApp may keep showing the old one for a few days. Facebook and LinkedIn have tools to force a refresh; on WhatsApp you usually wait, or try the address written slightly differently, for example with a trailing slash.

Common link preview mistakes

• No image, or a tiny logo in the middle of a white box.
• A portrait photo, which the app crops, leaving the person in it headless.
• Text inside the image too small to read on a phone.
• The same card on every page, even when you share a specific one.
• Template tags nobody changed: "My website", "Just another WordPress site".

Why it matters more than it seems

Many of your visits do not come from Google: they come because someone shares your link in a WhatsApp group, an Instagram story or an email. A polished card says the business is looked after. An empty one raises doubts before anyone even clicks.

How I do it

On Nueva Página websites every page launches with its own title, description and sharing image, so the link looks right wherever you share it. It comes with the rest of the basic SEO, detailed in what basic SEO includes.

How to check your website's link preview

The easiest way is to test it for real. Send the link to yourself or someone you trust and see what appears: title, description and image. Then repeat it with your most important pages, such as booking or a specific service. If any comes out empty or with a cropped image, its tags need reviewing.

Those tags follow an open standard, the Open Graph protocol, which nearly every app uses. So if they look right on WhatsApp, they usually look right on Facebook, LinkedIn or Telegram too. And if your sharing title differs from your Google title, review how to write the latter in title and meta description. A link that looks good gets opened.

Frequently asked questions

Does this affect Google?

Not directly. It affects how many people open your link when it is shared, which in the end is what brings you customers.

Can I use a photo of me or my premises?

Yes, if it reads well small. A clear photo of your premises or your work often beats a busy design.

Why does the card not show on Instagram?

Links in Instagram posts are not clickable. You do see it in direct messages and in stories with a link.

Will my website have a link preview for sharing?

Yes. On Nueva Página websites every page has its own title, description and sharing image. It is part of the basic SEO in the cost calculator plans.